Apparatus for cleaning watches



April 26, 1955 1. FRIEDMAN ETAL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WATCHES Filed Oct. 1; 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l I. FRIEDMAN ET AL APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WATCHES April 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 1, 1951 atent 2,706,992 Patented Apr. 26, 1955 2,706,992 APPARATUS FOR CLEANING WATCHES Irving Friedman, Hillside, and Maurice Mogavero, Newark, N. J.; said Friedman assignor to said Mogavero Application October 1, 1951, Serial No. 249,142 1 Claim. (Cl. 134-440) This invention relates to improvements in watch cleaning and like apparatus of the kind wherein perforate or parts to be cleaned can be submerged in a cleansing fluid and whirled about therein for cleaning elfect.

The invention has for an object to provide improved means for submerging and whirling about in a cleansing fluid mechanisms, devices or parts to be cleaned, said means being of variable content capacity; and to this end the invention provides a novel construction of whirlable holder for detachably supporting one or a plurality of separate perforate receptacles or baskets in which the mechanisms or parts to be cleaned can be deposited, said holder including means for locking the entered recepsupported relation thereto, so as to whirl therewith when the holder is submerged and rotated in a body of cleansing fluid.

Another object of the invention is to provide in combination with a receiver, Which contains the body of cleansing fluid in which the holder with the supported receptacles or baskets is to be submerged and rotated, an internal battle means adapted to so cooperate with the rotated holder as to check and reduce centrifugal force imparted to the cleansing fluid by rotation of said holder, whereby to prevent splashing overflow of the agitated cleansing fluid from the receiver during the cleansing operation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the following specific description thereof is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

coupled; same, taken on line 2-2 in Fig. l.

ig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the work holder in open condition, ready for insertion or removal therefrom of one or more perforate receptacles or baskets in which work to be cleaned is deposited; and Fig' 4 is a llgorizgntal sectional view thereof, taken on line 4-4 in The improved means for supporting the Work subject to submersion in and whirling movement through a selected treating fluid, according to this invention, includes a holder adapted to detachably support one or more frame or cage within the interior of which work enclosing receptacles or baskets can be removably entered and top plate 11, so sides and back of the holder frame or cage, are perpendicular frame bars 12. Preferably these frame bars 12 are provided, in inward radial extension from their lower ends, with angular arms 13 which support the bottom plate 14 of the holder frame or cage; said bottom plate being thus of reduced diameter as compared with the top plate 11. The described arframe bars 12, as extending between the top and bottom plates 11 and 14, provides the holder frame or cage with an open front.

Pivotally connecetd at 15 with an arm 16 which projects outwardly from the front margin of the bottom is a gate bar 17. This gate bar 17 exceeds in posing said of the holder frame or cage.

Means is provided for releasably securing the gate bar 17 in closing relation to the holder frame or cage. form of means for this purpose comprises an angular tne free end of which terminates in an upstanding latcn piece 22. Formed in the extension or tongue 19 of the gate bar 17 is a latch piece receiving opening or slot 23.

or slot 23 of the gate bar extension or tongue 19.

The top plate 11 of the holder frame or cage is provided with an upstanding axial hub 24 having a socket 25 to receive a power shaft 26, such as the armature shaft of an electric driving motor 27. The frame or cage is detachably coupled to the power shaft 26, whereby the latter is operative to impart rotative movement to the former about its vertical axis, when in use for a cleaning operation.

Perforate receptacles or baskets to enclose the work desired to be cleaned are provided for introduction within the holder frame or cage 14 basket comprises a body section 28 rate material, and preferably from woven wire mesh. T he body section 28 may be suitably interiorly divided to provide a plurality of compartments of various sizes respectively for the reception of watch-works, Watch the marginal portions of the cover member body 31 is an annular binding 32 having a de- MMVM pendent flange 33 extending from its external periphery. When the cover member is applied to the body section 25 in closing relation thereto, the cover member flange 33 telescopes over the top wall flange 30 of the body section, so as to form therewith an annular, externally projecting shoulder 34 around the top ofthe closed receptacle or basket.

The internal diameter of the holder frame or cage i conforms substantially to the external diameter of a re ceptacle or basket, but the depth or height of the interior of the holder frame or cage is several times that of the height of a closed receptacle or basket. By reason of this one or a plurality of receptacles or baskets may be entered inand enclosed within the holder frame or cage, according to the amount of work desired to be treated by the cleaning apparatus at any given time.

To individually hold each receptacle or basket against displacement from a desired position thereof, when entered in and enclosed within the holder frame or cage in operative assembled relation thereto, each frame bar 12 and the gate bar 17 of the holder frame or cage is provided with transverse recesses 35 corresponding in height to the height of the above described annular shoulder 34 with which each receptacle or basket is provided. Said recesses 35' are relatively spaced along the inner faces of the respective frame and gate bars at distances corresponding to the heights of the closed receptacles or baskets.

The work to be cleaned is deposited in the receptacles or baskets and the latter then closed by application of the cover members thereto. To condition the holder frame or cage for the reception of the work charged receptacles or baskets, the gate bar 17 is released and swung down out of normal closing relation to the front of the holder frame or cage (see Figs. 3 and 4), thus it opening the latter to reception of the receptacles or baskets. Each receptacle or basket is inserted through the open front of the holder frame or cage with the annular shoulder 34 thereof aligned with selected recesses 35, so that said shoulder 34 will enter and be embraced by said recesses when the receptacle or basket is fully entered in the holder frame or cage interior. After the number of receptacles or baskets to be used have been thus assembled within the holder frame or cage, the gate bar 17 is closed and latched. When the gate bar 17 is closed its recesses 35 will also engage and embrace the shoulders 34 of the entered receptacles or baskets. It will be obvious that, by reason of the seating of the shoulders 34 in said recesses 35, each receptacle or basket is individually held against perpendicular shift or displacement from its deposited position independently of its fellows; and, when the gate bar 17 is closed and latched, is also held against lateral shift and outward displacement. It will be understood therefore that one or a plurality of receptacles or baskets up to the total capacity of the holder frame or cage may be operatively assembled in the latter, according to the amount of work to be accommodated during a given use of the cleaning apparatus. When the holder frame or cage is loaded, the same is coupled to the power transmission shaft 26, ready to be submerged and rotated in a treating fluid.

In Fig. 1 is shown an upwardly open receiver 40 of a cleaning apparatus, said receiver containing a body of treating fluid 41 into which the loaded holder frame or cage is lowered to submerge the work enclosing receptacles or baskets in said fluid, so that, upon rotation of the loaded holder frame or cage, the work in the receptacles or baskets will be whirled about in the fluid for cleaning effect. The rotative movement of the loaded holder frame or cage tends to induce a swirling agitation of the fluid which develops considerable centrifugal force, and thereby, unless said force is checked or counteracted,

tends to cause undesirable out splashing overflow of lluid from the receiver.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means adapted to check or counteract such centrifugal force and resultant out splashing overflow of fluid from the receiver. To this end, a baffling liner 42, which preferably comprises a woven wire body of substantial mesh size, is mounted contiguous to the internal surface of the receiver side walls. Said baffling liner 42 may be dimensioned to overlie all or a selected amount of the side wall area of the receiver, but, preferably, is sized to cover approximately one-half of the circumferential extent of said wall area from top to bottom of the receiver. To hold the baffling liner 42 in place, the same is provided with transverse resilient retainer bands 43 made of spring steel or the like; said bands to be affixed to the baflling liner respectively adjacent the top and bottom portions thereof. Expansion of said retainer bands 43 presses and holds the bathing liner in place against the receiver wall surface. When swirling fluid contacts the rough contours of the baffling liner 42, the latter opposes the direction of swirling flow of the fluid, and thus obstructs and checks centrifugal buildup of flow momentum, with the consequence that tendency of the fluid to unduly rise and overflow the receiver is prevented.

Having now described our invention, we claim:

A machine for the purposes described comprising an upwardly open receiver to contain a treating fluid, a rotatable work holder axially movable into and out of said receiver, a motor for rotating the work holder, said work holder comprising a holder frame formed by a top plate, a bottom plate and perpendicular frame bars unitary with and respectively extending between opposite side and back margins of said top and bottom plates, said top plate having an axial socket hub upstanding from the top plate for coupling the holder frame to the shaft of said motor, a gate bar pivotally connected with the front margin of the bottom plate of said holder frame, the free end of said gate bar and said top plate of the holder frame having cooperative means to releasably hold the gate bar in upswung closed relation to the interior of the holder frame, a plurality of work enclosing wire mesh baskets supported one above the other within the holder frame, so as to be retained therein by the closed gate bar but to be outwardly withdrawable through the front of the holder frame when the gate bar is released and downswung to open position, each work enclosing basket comprising an upwardly open body section and a removable cover member to close said body section, the cover member having a peripheral portion formed to provide, in con unction with the top marginal portions of the body section, an annular shoulder to project exteriorly of the sides of said body section, and wherein at least the frame bars at opposite sides of the holder frame are provided across their inner faces with vertically spaced endwise open recesses to receive and embrace said annular shoulders, whereby to individually support each basket within the holder frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

